Stream or current motor



.v. HOMOLA STREAM 0R CURRENT MOTOR Filed June 2, 1922 2 Sheets-$heet 1 311 m1 1 ler yiiwzz/aiav,

JEEP. 1925- 7 1,522,820

V. HOMOLA STREAM OR CURRENT MOTOR Filed June 2, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented .lan. l3, 1%25.

mess noivrone, or message; seam-BY.

STREAM 0e CURRENT Moron.

Applicationfileld June 2, 1922. Serial'Nc. 565,325.

zontal shafts, in which the rowsof vanes are fixed on chainsor on something similar, so

thatduring the motion of the vanes ;the chains remain in vertical planes lying in the direction of the stream.

Fig; 2 is afragmentary cross-sectional view of the arrangement shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a top plane view of a slightly modified form of the arrangement embodyingthe vertical shaft, and

Fig; 4: is a transverse sectional view of the arrangement shown in Fig. 3. v

On the shafts a, arranged parallel to eachother and transverse to the, direction of the current are mounted the sprocket-wheels 12, around which run the endless chains. To the chains there is attached a system of vanes. Therows of vanes running closely parallel to each other can be'of any desired number. For example in Fig. 2 there are shown in. cross-section 4 rows of vanes.

In this invention the rows of vanes move along the sides of a triangle the apices of which are rounded and during the motion one. sideremains parallel with the direction of the stream, while the other two intersect it at an acute angle. The side of the triangle lying parallel with the direction of the current is that part of the system of vanes along which no energy is obtained, the vanes here being dragged upstream, during which motion they are turned down into a position of smallest resistance. The tWo other sides of the triangle, with the rounded transition parts, are the working part of the system of vanes. By arranging the working sections slanting to the direction of the current several advantages are obtained: 1. the cross'section of water utilized is increased asthe vanes do not move in the current-shade of each other; 2. the energy of the water entering in its original current directitmv isutilized intwo; sections (sections A B and -B,D,.) similartto a water turbine WitlifdOublB-flOW; 3. flbQve all, by suitably choo sing the angles which the two linear sections of the working} part make with the direction of thestream, it is renderedpossible for the resultant ofthe forces transmitted without shock to the vanes on the two sections of the working part, to-act parallel tothe direction of the chains, whereby the highest efficiency is sed- H.

Hence it is obviously m'ost advantageous to choose the hypotenusefor that,p a rt to which no energy is transferred andfthqt'wb other sides for the working t, inzthe examples of construction described above.

Energy is transmitted to the-vanes onthe sections AB and B-D and thence transferred to the shafts by means ofthe in Every vane is provided with prop or band f, which, h owever, ser've s only to support the vanes against the pressure ;act-

ing on its front surface. At the place D the chains wind about the guiding; rollers so that the vanes'underthe pressure of the .water acting behind during their passage around the rollers are turned down. Along the working parts, the vanes'secured eccentrically by bolts are to the greatest extent of their surface within the interior of the above-mentioned triangle; after being turned down, they automatically assumefthe position of smallest resistance, being lnthe meantime dragged in an upstreamdirection, along the non-working part AD.

The turning down of the vanes is shown in the drawing at the places D. The vanes are readjusted into the working-position, also automatically, when turning around A.

In order to secure a high efficiency, the vanes must receive the kinetic energy of the water entering in its original current direction so that the resultant of theforces exerted on the vanes lies inthe directionof the chain, moreover, the flow thro-ugh'both sections, Ar-B and B-D, 1nust be smooth and without jerk and such that to the first-operated working section A-B purposely only so much energy is transferred that the remaining energy. operates the second working section B -D with the same velocity as was'transmitted to portion AB. All these conditions are easily fulfilled in the present new invention as the path and form of the. vanes as well as the angle of support are three variables that can always be chosen to conform with the above conditions.

Through the change of di-rectionaround the point B there can easily be produced an eddy of water and from this arises the danger that the vanes, when passing there, maybe prematurely turneddown. To prevent this, guide-vanes g may be employed which render impossible the eddy-effect by filling the water free' spaces arising around the point B with a suitable quantity of water introduced from outside. By this means the cross-section utilized will also be increased.

In the same way there may-in the spirit of the inventionbe employed guide-vanes in the neighborhood of the point A, in order to facilitate the smooth and jerkless adjustment of the vanes into the working position and to increase the efficiency of the motor by the fact that those particles of water which would otherwise come into contact with vanes in a non-working position are thus deflected to the working vanes.

For the same purpose, that is for steering the turning-down of the vanes, similar guide-vanes may be employed in the interior of the triangle A B D at the point D.

' In -t-he arrangement shown in Figs. 1 and 2 each' of-the rows of vanes may have a chain of its own, or two adjacent rows may have one common chain. By using several series of vanes, water cross-sections of any dimensions may be utilized. I-Iere the chainwheels (sprockets) may be connected with their shafts in a way that permits disengagement, so that the single rows of vanes may be switched in or out each other.

"In, another formof the invention the folindependently of lowing arrangement is made: The rows of vanes move in the horizontal as shown in Fig. 3, so that every pair of the system of vanes possess parallel non-working parts (hypotenuses), which arrangement from the practical point of view presents many advantages. By this means, above all, quite small depths of water may be utilized, even in the case of large breadths, so that the motor, if fastened to an anchor on a foremost point of its axis of symmetry and placed on a floating body, always lies automatically in the best working position, i. e. inthedirection of the current.

Moreover, in this arrangement the resistance of the vanes which are dragged in the upstream direction can be diminished by covering the vanes in this section, if necessary. Here the adjacent pairs of sprocket wheels; at A and-'Dl are in gear. The

power may be taken from one shaft of the motor or from several at the same time. This form of arrangement, too, permits the application of several rows of vanes in every triangle, parallel to each other, each of which, canbe switched off separately.

The supporting device of the vanes may be constructed in various manners. A sim ple example of construction is shown schematically in Figs. 1 and 3, where :the support between paddle and chain consists. of two links f connected to each other by means of a pin-joint p. i

Instead of using these brackets, also suitable to simply bind the vanes by means of small chains or something similar.

In each arrangement the motor is set'out of operation by switching off the supporting devices, whereby all paddles, like the non-working ones, arefset in the direction of the current.

The whole of the stream-motor is built within the interior of a floating body, the

walls of which serve, at the same time, as

bearings of the shafts. Fig. 2 1 shows an example of a form of arrangementin cross-section. h are the parts of the floating body,-connected with 'ea hxother by meansof a frame-work,m. V V This frame-work supports, at the same time, all those structural parts which serve for the increase of the strength, for the covering etc. and itv also supports the'guidevanes. All parts of the motor being thus 7 I united in one structure, it may easily. be set about the sprocket wheels and vanes operatively mounted on the chains, the frames being arranged in juxtaposed relation and the chains thereof each having'one side positioned parallel with the current and along which the vanes pass when in an inactive position and the remaining portions of. the chains being arranged so that the vanes will be traversed by the same part of the current and guide vanes arrangedadjacent the turning pointsof the paths of the vanes.

' 2. A motor as claimed in claim 1 where in the vanes are supported by the pin joints of the chains, the pin joints serving as axes of rotation for the vanes. 1 V

3. A water motor including a frame composed of three rotatable shafts positioned intr angular arrangement, sprocket wheels mounted adjacent the respective ends of the shaft, chains operating about the sprocket wheels, .a plurality of vanes r0 tatably supported on the pin joints of the chains in such a manner that the greater part of the active surfaces of the vanes lies within the interior of the triangle and sectional links connecting the said inner portions of the vanes with the chains, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4. A water motor including a pair of framesv each composed of three rotatable shafts positioned in triangular arrangement, sprocket wheels carried by the shaft adjacent the respective ends thereof, chains op er'ating about the sprocket wheels and also arranged in triangular formation, a plurality of vanes each of which are mounted in suitable spaced relation on opposed pin joints of the chains so of the active surface of the vanes lies within the interior of the triangle, sectional links that the greater part connecting said inner portions of the vanes with the chains, the frames being arranged in juxtaposed relation and the chains thereof each having one side positioned parallel with the current for the passage of the vanes when in an inactive position and the remaining portions being arranged so that the vanes will be traversed by the same part of the current and guide vanes arranged adjacent the turning points of the path of the vanes.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

VICTOR HOMOLA. Witnesses:

CH. FORMAGYI, O. ToLUAI. 

